Friends with benefits

We all have them. Special friendships that benefit you in a special way. Really, all friendships are beneficial in some way. You have the friends that enhance your social or work life, or the ones that help you gain knowledge or understanding. Some friends are standbys, the ones that are always around or available to assist you with whatever task is at hand. Friendships play an intricate role in our happiness, health, pleasure, wisdom and success. But mostly, for right now, I'm speaking of the pleasure.

On a sleepy Sunday morning, a particular special friend of mine can make pure magic happen, with just a dash of Tabasco and a hint of lime.

You've had your breakfast, but It's still a bit early. You need a pick-me-up that leaves you with a warm yet refreshed fuzzy feeling inside. You want something cold. Not sweet. Not creamy. You want something you can crunch into, something with a kick of heat and a tangy peppery finish. You crave that good-for-you flavor while appreciating that naughty distilled addition.

You, my special friends, need to make yourselves a Bloody Mary.
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Unfortunately, I'm not able to benefit you with the exact recipe of the magical Marys I was able to enjoy. But, I can offer up a few suggestions to make yours particularly tasty. First, and this is kind of a no brainer, always use good vodka. It's the only liquor in the drink and really folks, bad vodka, is BAD. There's a couple key ingredients for flavor depth on top of the base of V8 and vodka. Use your favorite hot sauce, traditionally Tabasco is used but switching up the flavor by using Cholula or Sriracha would be lovely. Worcestershire sauce, celery salt and freshly cracked black pepper are important additions to round out the earthy salad flavors. The funnest part for me is the garnishes. A few of my favorites include limes, pickled green beans, celery, olives and pepperoncinis, they all add that crunchy bite of both flavor and texture.

Well I should let you get your drink on now...
So here's to cozy Sundays and advantageous relationships... giggidy!

Cheers!